Takeaway: I don't know what I was thinking with Penn (1-6). That schedule has been too tough to navigate. Maryland and North Carolina have both had their good and bad moments, while Syracuse's lack of an offensive leader and steady netminder continues to haunt the Orange. As usual I under-rated Cornell and thought Denver could overcome some defensive deficiencies better than they have. I feel good about where I placed Notre Dame, Duke, Hopkins, and Virginia. I'd love to say I saw UMass, Loyola, and Lehigh coming, but I did not. I had the Minutemen No. 12, Greyhounds No. 15, Mountain Hawks unranked. Why am I sharing this? One word: accountability.

What's Happened: Virginia began as No. 1 and is back at that spot

Takeaway: What a difference a year makes. This time in 2011 the Cavaliers were 7-3 and dealing with a myriad of internal issues before turning it all around. Fast forward to 2012 and the defending champs are really clicking on all cylinders and poised to make a run at another national championship. Steele Stanwick remains the game's premier player and unquestioned leader of the Wahoo offense. Hybrid attackman/middie Matt White is a matchup nightmare, and Chris Bocklet is as good a finisher as there is in DI lacrosse. The midfield is fast and athletic with insane ability to shoot on the run. The defense remains solid and versatile in its ability to play a variety of sets, and new starting goalie Rob Fortunato has been solid. The legacy of leadership left in Charlottesville by the likes of Bray Malphrus, John Haldy, and Adam Ghitleman remains strong. The only thing between them and a perfect record is an overtime loss to Johns Hopkins, an intense game that could have gone either way.

What's Happened: Hopkins right behind them at 9-1

Takeaway: The Blue Jays have put a lousy preseason behind them to jump out to a great start. The losses of Phil Castranova and Eric Ruhl in the midfield have been mitigated by the play of Jack Reilly, Marshall Burkhart, and Lee Coppersmith. The defense has been superb aside from the UNC loss, with goalie Pierce Bassett in command and Tucker Durkin and Chris Lightner playing at a late season level. And how about the attack? Hopkins has had to use as many as six different players down low on the offensive end with injuries to Chris Boland and Wells Stanwick, with Zach Palmer really stepping up. Throw in the face-off work of Mike Poppleton, and you have a club so balanced I have not even talked about its first midfield unit, a group that collectively is more dangerous than individually. The Blue Jays are nasty and unselfish, a combination that could get them to their first Championship Weekend since 2008.

Bonus Takeaway: While every team wants to win every game it is sometimes good to drop one right around midseason. With the arduous schedules Virginia and Hopkins play, the pressure to stay perfect week after week can take on a life of its own. A loss allows disappointment to set in and an opportunity to refocus and work on the things that attributed to the setback.

What's Happened: Rest of the ACC beating up on each other

Takeaway: Aside from Virginia the rest of the ACC has been inconsistent. Duke, Maryland, and North Carolina have all lost three games apiece. Duke is currently on a six game win streak, including what has seemingly become an annual win over North Carolina. Maryland has taken down Duke but has dropped their last two. North Carolina? The Tar Heels beat Maryland and are currently rolling after taking down Hopkins. Common thread: Duke and Carolina have some tremendous offensive talent that is tough to top when clicking. When Duke's midfield is on, they can be unstoppable. The Tar Heels rely on the fluidity of their attack. The Terrapins have a little better balance but need more consistency at the face-off. Needless to say, barring a big time collapse I expect all three to land in the NCAA Tournament.

What's Happened: Only two unbeatens in D1 — UMass and Loyola

Takeaway: Both of these teams have surprised many and share a number of similarities in their DNA. Both have slick, prolific attackmen (Will Manny/Art Kell, Mike Sawyer/Eric Lusby), breakdown dodging middies (Anthony Biscardi/Colin Fleming, Sean O'Sullivan/Chris Layne), game-changing face-off men (Anthony Toresco, JP Dalton), and top No. 1 cover defensemen (Tom Celentani, Joe Fletcher). I give the edge in cage to the Minutemen with Tim McCormack (64%), but see the Greyhounds with the slight nod at LSM with Scott Ratliff. At this point of the season UMass has to be considered the favorite in the CAA, where they are currently 2-0 and should make the conference tourney that sees higher seeds get home field. Loyola faces a stiff upcoming road swing of ECAC foes at Fairfield, Denver, and Hobart. This will be a great test as the ECAC tournament will be held in Denver later this season.

What's Happened: Lehigh is your other surprise team, front-runner in Patriot League

Takeaway: While UMass and Loyola have been surprises, they both have pretty rich NCAA tourney experience. This is not the case for Lehigh. They have never been to the big dance but have certainly put themselves in position to make a run in 2012. The Mountain Hawks are off to a 10-1 start and enjoying their finest season ever. Defense has been the major reason why, as Lehigh is giving up a paltry 5.5 goals per game, good for tops in terms of scoring defense in the NCAA. Defenseman Ty Souders has been an eraser for the Mountain Hawks, along with freshman netminder Matthew Poillon. Offensively players like Dante Fantoni and David DiMaria have gotten the job done along with the help and leadership of brothers Roman and Cameron Lao-Gosney. In Year Five, coach Kevin Cassese is getting results in Bethlehem.

Bonus Takeaway: It's been a lot of fun watching scoreboards light up around the Patriot League this season. Colgate features Peter Baum, Army has Garrett Thul, Bucknell is Billy Eisenreich, and Navy sports Tucker Hull. In addition to these prolific scorers some of the nation's finest freshmen call this conference home (Matthew Poillon of Lehigh, Ryan Walsh of Colgate, and David Dickson of Bucknell). The battle for the AQ will be intense and one to remember this season in the Patriot.

What's Happened: Notre Dame is the team to beat in the Big East

Takeaway: My preseason pick to capture the conference title is looking pretty good. The Irish offense has many hands involved and can answer the bell when needed. The development of middie Jim Marlatt has been fun to watch, and attackmen Sean Rogers and Westy Hopkins have helped the Irish overcome the loss of leader Nicholas Beattie. The defense is its usual stingy self, surrendering a measly 6 goals per game. Kevin Randall and goalie John Kemp are having All-American seasons, while Stephen O'Hara looks like the next All-American in line for the Notre Dame defensive legacy. Could Notre Dame run away with this thing? I see Villanova as the strongest challenger with Syracuse reeling as of late. The Wildcats have the speed at attack and dodging ability at midfield to challenge the Irish defense, a dynamic that has been absent from the Orange offense throughout 2012.

What's Happened: Looking like a two-team race in the Ivy League

Takeaway: Each year we seemingly anticipate a changing of the guard in the Ivies and each year we are left empty. Cornell is just that good, getting the job done without the services of Rob Panell. The only blemish on the record is an overtime loss to Virginia. Players like Chris Langton, Steve Mock, and Connor English have elevated their play in typical Big Red fashion. The defense is cohesive and unselfish with the likes of Jason Noble and Mike Bronzino fronting new netminder Andrew West. Princeton has shaken off a slow start to rattle off four straight victories. Thomas Schreiber has established himself as on the nation's best players, while Chad Weidmaier and Tyler Fiorito are trying to take Princeton to their first Championship Weekend since 2004. Both face Syracuse over the next couple of weeks, wrapped around conference play. At 3-0, it looks like the April 28 meeting at Tiger Woods will determine the No. 1 seed for the Ivy tournament.

What's Happened: Siena setting up for another run in the MAAC

Takeaway: The Saints have won five straight, including a 2-0 start in conference. Siena is the defending MAAC champ and has been to two out of the last three NCAA Tournaments. The strength of this team is on the attack with slippery point producers in Danny Martinsen and Bryan Neufeld and in the goal with Tom Morr (54%). What makes Morr's numbers deceiving is the fact that Siena has only won 44% of their face-offs and he is backing a very young defense. Thus, this team has been in a number of shootouts. Their stiffest challenge could come from Marist and Detroit. The Red Foxes have played a tough out of conference schedule, while the Titans out of conference docket was wicked and they get to play Siena and Jacksonville at home.

What's Happened: CAA still does not disappoint

Takeaway: Week in and week out the Colonial Athletic Association is the most interesting conference in lacrosse. While UMass seems to be the team to beat I don't see a ton of separation between the Minutemen and the rest of the league. Whereas other conferences have established a solid top two or three, the Colonial still has five teams that could grab the AQ. In addition to UMass there are strong contenders in Drexel, Penn State, Hofstra, and Towson. One will not make the CAA tournament. Hofstra has failed to win the conference title the last two seasons yet still qualified for the NCAAs. I see this year's version to once again have at least two representatives in the Big Dance. I do not expect one of those teams to be the two-time reigning champion Delaware.

What’s Happened: No one dominant in America East

Takeaway: This conference was a combined 9-39 before conference play began this past weekend, with one of the wins coming by UMBC over Maryland — the biggest upset of the 2012 season. The bottom line is this conference has struggled as a whole. Defending champion Hartford and Stony Brook are struggling mightily on face-offs after ruling that category the last couple of seasons. Albany just got win No. 1 for 2012 but needs to find a groove to get on a roll. UMBC scored a big win over Hartford this past weekend and seems to have a leg up, but they need to find consistency. On thing is for sure — this battle should be high-scoring and entertaining.